After locating our homebase, I parked my tiny car and skipped over to one of my favorite local cafes, Naked Soup, for a bite and to bide the time until my family arrived from the airport.
Here's our charming flat in a renovated Georgian townhome. When in the planning stages, I told my parents that we should stay in Glasgow for a week, using it as a base for surrounding towns and attractions in the Central Belt and southern Highlands. All told, we spent the better part of three days exploring the city itself, while the rest of the week we traveled further afield.
(Credit: Johnnyfer)Naturally, I had to bring the fam to my old stomping grounds. In fact, I dragged them along the same route I used to take to get to class in the Philosophy building on Oakfield Ave., then took them around the central campus. For more information on the University of Glasgow's history and more pictures of its gorgeous campus, click back to this entry.
After touring the university, we strolled through Kelvingrove Park, which was bursting with wildflowers and greenery. According to locals I met on my travels, spring came very late this year. Scotland must have known we were coming and gotten herself all tarted up for our visit.
(Credit: Hopsi/Mum)
This imposing sandstone edifice is Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, one of the crown jewels of Glasgow culture. Kelvingrove was one of my favorite afternoon haunts during my semester spent in Glasvegas; I'd come in every so often, pick one wing or exhibit, and slowly wind my way through, absorbing every bit of information that I could fit in my noggin.
Not only are the exhibits top-notch, but the building itself is a masterpiece. When we visited, we were lucky enough to catch an organist playing the massive pipe organ seen above.
Heading toward the Natural History wing, there is a gaudy pop-art tribute the King. Naturally, everyone under the sun strikes a similar pose for pictures, as Johnnyfer is doing. Of course, I did the same thing on my first visit.
(Credit: Hopsi/Mum)One of the very popular exhibits in Kelvingrove: the hanging heads. Dozens of heads with different expressions float above one of the wings of the museum.
Sadly, our time in the Kelvingrove was cut fairly short, as we had to rush back to our flat to meet a bag courier to pick up my mother's lost luggage. If you ever get a chance to visit Glasgow, make sure to allot a few hours to wander around this amazing collection.
Everyone in my family likes museums; we are all unabashed trivia/information hoarders. As such, there were several museums on the agenda for Glasgow. Later in the week, we made a trip to the Museum of Transport, which sits across Argyle from the Kelvingrove. My dad's an engineer, so naturally we puttered around the exhibits for about five hours. Toward the end, Jen and I got a little restless and started acting like assholes.
Yar, there be pirates here. Man, pirates are so much better than ninjas. Please take note of the bovine plush that we have sitting on our steering wheel. That's Duncan, a mascot of sorts. We did a sort of "traveling gnome" photo-project with Duncan throughout our trip, so expect to see him again.
After spending time exploring the West End, we made our way to City Centre for a visit to Glasgow Cathedral, George Square, and City Chambers, and also to do some shopping.
The front of Glasgow Cathedral, which was founded in the 13th century and served as the original site for the University of Glasgow. Surprisingly, much of the original architecture is still intact, having survived the Reformation that swept through Scotland in 1560. As in the case of Iona Abbey, the site of the modern Glasgow Cathedral has served as a religious center since the 6th century.
In the cloisters under the nave lies the tomb of Saint Mungo (St. Kentigern), the founding monk of the cathedral and, some say, the city itself.
Ooooooooooh, spooky. Actually, I really like the lighting in the cloisters. It lends a warmth to the otherwise cold stone.
After touring the cathedral and the necropolis behind it, we made our way to George Square so I could show everyone the architectural magnificence of City Chambers. The wings open to visitors are covered in rich, rose-colored marbles and dark, ornately carved hardwoods.
Later we tooled around Buchanan Street and Princes Street, the two main shopping districts in Glasgow, and rounded out our visit with a spot of tea at the Willow Tea Room on Sauchiehall Street.
The Willow Tea Room, along with several others around the city, are old tea parlors designed by Glasgow's own Charles Rennie Mackintosh, an architect whose work was integral in shaping not only the Scottish arts and crafts movement, but also the American arts and crafts movement.
(Credit: Johnnyfer)Drinking tea and waiting for our scones with clotted cream and jam. I miss tea time.
(Credit: Johnnyfer)Finally, to round out this bear of an entry, an inside joke for my family who are reading this and likely chuckling at this picture. Croutons, anyone?
(Edited to add: As I've mined my family's photos for this portion of the blog, I'll put a credit under their photos that I use.)
